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Lawrence P. Artemis
A journalist and author of social commentary, Lawrence Perrifian Artemis has been making contributions to major British wizarding publications for more than a decade. The son of an British healer and his American wife, Artemis was home schooled as a child and found his calling in the written word. Beginning with his publication in the Daily Prophet many years later, Artemis has been outspoken in his fight to bring the wrongs of society to the eyes of the people. In 1998, Artemis found himself among the Disappeared in a Death Eater experimentation camp. Unable to get word to anyone, his last article ran in April 1998. It would be five years before his quill would be heard from again, but as he himself wrote to the new Editor-in-Chief of the paper, "Despite their attempts, they have not silenced me, they have but made me stronger for the trials." Behind the Scenes: Despite what the public believes, there is no Lawrence P. Artemis. Created by then-Daily Prophet News Editor, Franklin Moon, the Artemis pen-name allowed him to write freely - without any attached stigma from his position at the paper. Frank's articles, mostly Opposite Editorials (Op-Eds) and social commentary, were different than others printed in the Prophet, especially during the Trio's years at Hogwarts. At first, the Artemis articles had a small following, but soon (like most things) that began to grow. The Prophet continued publishing the pieces largely because of their popularity; it was an odd arrangement, especially because the articles went against the grain of everything else the paper printed. Frank's articles were supportive of Harry Potter and often highlighted the corruption and lack of response and attention being paid by the Ministry. In Fall of 1994, when Rita Skeeter came to the fore-front of the public interest, the two journalists went in a head-to-head battle for readers. Frank's supportive articles - articles telling facts - versus Rita Skeeter's made up pieces of journalistic trash (as Frank often referred to them). By the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Frank's articles had lost the battle against the made-up rabble and had begun sending them to The Quibbler for printing. With the new addition to The Quibbler, circulation of the publication boomed. Publication of the Artemis articles in The Quibbler continued until Spring of 1997, when he was picked up by The Prophet again. However, not only were these new articles completely the opposite of what the rest of the paper was printing, but he was rallying the public, trying to get everyone to understand that there was a serious threat facing the country. The articles continued to be points of public interest, urging readers to take arms against the growing Death Eater threat. By the time war was officially declared, "Artemis" had already influenced many to do something and to help with the growing threat, which had been exactly Frank's intent. The articles continued to be written and published up until Frank Moon's death. The final article was written on 26 April, 1998 and ran on 29 April 1998, two days after his death. It would be five years before another article ran. In Summer 2004, after a five year absence, the first of several new articles by Lawrence P. Artemis was printed on the front page of the Daily Prophet. These new articles, written by Frank's daughter, Michelle (an Auror with the MLE), have continued in the tradition of the original Artemis articles, using words to catch the attention of the public and rallying them to make change. Category: Alter Ego Category: Characters